Hi
I have a '96 buick LeSabre with less than 40k miles. I hope I'm able to explain my problem clearly.
I have two keys. One of them, when I start the car in the morning it shuts down and after about 3 minutes the lights go on and it will start and seems to start the rest of the day. The other key seems to work all the time.
Second problem (they started at the same time) Start the car, it shuts down like the battery is dead but then starts right up. But the radio has gone off and the clock resets to one o'clock. This has happened three times radomly.
I took it to a local mechanic and he said he thought it was a security problem and I would have to take it tothe dealer. Well that's scary but I made an appointment at the closest dealer which is an hour from where I live. I told them the problem and without even looking at it they said it was the ignition lock cylinder and they would have to order the part.
On my way toward home I saw another dealer and stopped there. They said it would cost me $60 to diagnose it. I was on my way out the door (should have kept going) but stopped in the parts department to find out how much an ignition lock cylinder and 2 keys cost. The parts man told me they sold lots of these as it was a common problem with my car. He went and talked to a mechanic about it and he said the same thing. However the service guy said that this was true but they wouldn't guarantee it unless I paid the $60. At least Three people at this point said it was a 90-95% chance this was the problem. So,because we're having some health issues and I need a dependable car, I opted to go for it.
Today I tried to start it and everything went dead like the battery was dead. After letting it sit hoping it would reset itself I read something in the manual about trying to start it in another gear and I was able to put it in neutral and it started. (Yes the clock reset itself to one o'clock and the radio went dead, no dash lights only a beap when I turned the key to start it while in park.0
Please, does anyone know what this may be and what I should do about the sleazy dealer that won't even call me back.
Thank you
Betty